Your Voice Matters
Contact Us
Email: pfa@fredhutch.org
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center started our Patient and Family Engagement Program in 2011. We promote meaningful partnerships between patients, caregivers and staff to inform patient- and family- centered care and research.
Our mission is to include patient and caregiver voices in everything Fred Hutch does to prevent and eliminate cancer and infectious disease.
Diversity is at the heart of our program. Individuals from all backgrounds are welcome to apply. We encourage applications from people of color, LGBTQIA+, people living with disabilities, veterans and others.
What Patient and Family Advisors Do
Advisors help us improve in many ways. While advisors occasionally collaborate with other advisors, this role doesn’t provide direct support to patients and families.
Here are some of the common ways we partner with advisors:
- E-advising: Share your opinions and respond in email, often in the form of electronic surveys; usually, no more than once a month. Virtual only.
- Focus and discussion groups: Provide feedback in a group format with other patients and caregivers. May be virtual or in person.
- Committees, councils and/or workgroups: Bring the patient and caregiver experience to committee or workgroup meetings. Participation in these activities usually requires at least a one-year time commitment. May be virtual or in person.
- Story sharing: Share your experiences with staff, providers and leadership, often in a panel or guided interview. May be virtual or in person.
- Patient-centered research: Bring the patient and caregiver perspective to planning and carrying out clinical trials. May be virtual or in person.
Is Being a Patient and Family Advisor Right for You?
You do not need any special qualifications to be an advisor. Your experiences at Fred Hutch Cancer Center, either as a patient, caregiver or both, are what qualify you for the role. Being an advisor may be a good match if you can:
- Talk about your health experiences (good or bad) in constructive ways,
- Think about ways Fred Hutch can improve,
- Look beyond your own experiences,
- Respect diversity and different opinions,
- Work well with others, and
- Keep information you see or hear private.
Time Commitment
We offer different levels of involvement for advisors so you can choose what works best for you.
Tier 1: E-Advising
- Ideal if you want to be involved and can spend less than 30 minutes per month.
- Get an email, usually no more than once a month, with opportunities to share your opinions electronically.
- Respond to the activities that are a good fit for you- there is no minimum or maximum time commitment.
- E-advisors can start right away- you just need to apply. There is no interview or orientation.
Tier 2: Virtual & In-Person Advising
- Ideal if you want to have a more active role.
- Have the option to participate in different activities, from one-time opportunities to long-term commitments. Each activity is discussed beforehand, and you choose the ones that are a good fit for you.
- You do not have to sign up for in-person activities if that is not a good fit for you. You can take part through virtual opportunities only.
- There is no minimum or maximum time commitment.
- Virtual and in-person advisors complete an interview after applying. If you are invited to join the program, you will complete an orientation and sign required forms.
Becoming a Patient and Family Advisor
- If being an advisor seems like it may be a fit for you, please fill out an application.
- If you apply for the Virtual & In-person Advising role, we will contact you for an interview. If you are invited to join the Patient and Family Engagement program, you will be asked to compete an orientation.
- If you apply for E-Advising, we will add you to our E-Advisor list.
Why I Became an Advisor
Hear from some of our patient and family advisors about why they wanted to join the Patient and Family Engagement Program during a recorded panel discussion.